Lifetimes
by elephantgirl3007
Summary: When Harry and Ginny's son James returns to hogwarts there is someone new, a true blast from the past...
1. Prologue

Hogwarts

**Lifetimes**

**This story is set as a continuation of the epilogue: "19 years later" at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, they belong to JK Rowling, and I am just using them to write an amazing story (hopefully!)**

Prologue

It was a chilly spring morning when the baby was delivered. She arrived in a blanket, green and silver, Slytherin colours. Pansy couldn't help but be struck by memories, memories of her and Draco, what could have been. She admired the little girl, so like her father yet so innocent. She sighed, what an honour, even now after he was gone she was the one to be trusted, the most of everyone, it was mind blowing…

Later when the baby was asleep the warning came, it was time to move. How were they going to keep this child a secret when her past was so clear? As soon as she reached the age of education she would be recognised, even now her father's face was set in her features. Pansy gathered up the baby and her suitcase then left the house, out into the dark where she disapparated, just minutes before the Ministry arrived.

"Where's she gone?" asked one sleepy wizard.

"Disapparated!" declared another.

"We need to find her and that child!" shouted the one in charge.

"What child?" asked the first wizard.

"The child that has the power to ruin life as we know it…" came the reply.

The two wizards gasped, surely no one had ever been that powerful, not even Voldermort himself…


	2. 12 years later

12 years later…

**12 years later…**

**Ok if you're slightly confused don't worry all will become clear soon! Bear in mind that this is set just after Harry and Ginny's children board the Hogwarts express.**

As the train sped away James hurried away from his younger brother who had already found a compartment with Rose. He walked down the train but couldn't see any of his friends, most of them were far too cool to travel on the express anymore, he didn't see why his dad wouldn't let him go by flying car like everyone else. However this year most of the compartments were full of anxious 1st years, the only empty one was right at the end, sighing he slid in and was just thinking about how many chocolate frogs he could eat on the train with the money he had when a small girl slid into the seat opposite him.

"Umm… hi." He said, "Most of the 1st years sit in the compartments back there, I'm a bit older than them…"

"As am I." said the girl in a harsh voice with a faint hiss, "I am in my 2nd year so please don't speak to me in that patronising manner."

"I'm so sorry, it's just you don't look exactly the same age as me…" James stuttered, "Please sit down, are you new?"

"Yeah I am thanks, starting today, it's so annoying, and my dad won't let me come by flying car or thestral!" she said in a friendlier tone with a small laugh.

James looked at her properly then; she was small and agile with curly black hair and green eyes that shone like emeralds. She was actually quite pretty for someone who went to Hogwarts by train…

"Mine either," he replied, "he's so over-protective! What are your parents like?"

"Well they're both dead…" she started, but seeing the look on his face she laughed.

"I'm so sorry!" he stammered, "please forgive me, I had no idea!"

"Its ok!" she smiled, "they died before I was born, I don't even know their names, and I was given to their friend, who's called Pansy Parkinson. She looked after me until now but I was ill last year so couldn't join Hogwarts then."

"Hey! I think my dad was in the same year as someone called Pansy Parkinson!" replied James, trying to focus on the positives.

"What's your dad called?" asked the girl.

"Harry, Harry Potter." Replied James casually, hoping to impress her.

This piece of information didn't really seem to have much effect on her; she just smiled and said that she'd ask when she next wrote home.

"By the way I never did catch your name?" enquired James.

"Ella, and yours?" she answered,

"James," he blushed, "I'm named after my grandfather, I know its kind of old fashioned."

"It's nice," she replied but she wasn't really listening, too busy staring out of the window at the castle they were approaching rapidly.

"Oh yeah, I suppose now I should do the whole, 'Welcome to Hogwarts!' Thing" laughed James but his words were unheard because Ella had already bolted off to change into her robes, "silly girl," he thought and with a flick of his wand he was wearing his.

James didn't see Ella until much later after the banquet in the great hall, a good opportunity to catch up with his friends and hear all the summer news.

"Hey James!" called Billy Creevy, who was holding his camera around his neck, "what's with you're brother and that girl over there?" he pointed at Rose who was talking animatedly to Albus.

"Oh they're just friends!" he laughed, "actually closer, they're cousins, sorry Billy; no romance there!"

Everyone laughed while Billy turned scarlet and muttered something like "how was I supposed to know that!" only a bit ruder.

As James was getting up he bumped into someone who was heading down the table,

"Whoops! Sorry!" he exclaimed then saw the person was in fact Ella so smiled at her. She smiled and walked off, back to the Gryffindor common room, the house she'd been sorted into.

"What was that!?" asked Sean Thomas excitedly.

"Nothing, just Ella," replied James casually but he could feel his heart thudding in his chest, "I met her on the train, she's new and in our year…"

He was cut off by everyone making kissy faces and passed the next half-hour ignoring them.

Upstairs Ella was alone in the 2nd year girls' dormitory, she was writing a message to Pansy while thinking about James. He had seemed nice enough, she must mention him in her letter and ask if Pansy knew his Dad…

She was also disappointed, she had wanted to be sorted into Slytherin, just like that blanket she had been delivered in, that was all she knew about herself and she had been sure that it was a sign; but here, now she thought that this might be what she was destined to do, after all the sorting hat always knew best didn't it? But how did it know what was best for her if she didn't know what was best for herself?


	3. School

**School**

After the royal decree of muggle studies was passed five years earlier muggle studies was compulsory at Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry, as were English and Maths. It was during her Tuesday morning Maths lesson that Ella saw James again; he completely ignored her and went to sit down across the other side of the room, next to his friend Sean Thomas.

"_How rude!"_ thought Ella, silently seething. But then the teacher entered and started the lesson. Being behind Ella had to work hard to catch up, today they were starting on sine waves. Halfway through the lesson Ella was conscious of someone watching her, she tried to look around the world inconspicuously, using her long dark hair to cover her face.

"Ella! I'm terribly sorry my lesson is not as interesting as your hair but can you concentrate!" ordered the Maths teacher. Ella blushed scarlet as she now felt everyone's eyes upon her.

"Sorry," she mumbled and looked down again. The rest of the lesson dragged by slowly and at the end of the lesson Ella was the last one left in the room, still packing up, when James approached her.

"Hi," he blurted out, "listen I'm really sorry for ignoring you earlier, you know how my friends can be…" he trailed off as she glared at him but then seemed to recover and continued, "I was thinking…well actually hoping…that if it's not too much of a bother…you might want to have lunch with me later?"

Ella smiled at his nerves but really her stomach was doing somersaults at the thought of eating with him.

"I'd love to," she said quietly, looking into his deep green eyes and feeling for the first time something more than is normal to feel while sitting in a math's room. They just stood there for a minute before the next bell rang and they realized that they were both very late.

James hurried to Herbology, hoping that no one else had just seen him and Ella together, for some reason he thought that it would be best not to tell anyone about this. When he sat down at his bench Harry Longbottom, all round hopeless case and Herbology teacher's son, had already got bitten by a mandrake.

"Oh Harry!" Shouted Professor Longbottom, "What will your mother say tonight?"

James smiled to himself, Mrs Longbottom, nee Lovegood, would probably have some potion she had prepared today in her new position as potions assistant that would make it all better. Harry turned red and was already halfway out of the door on the way to the hospital wing. The rest of Herbology was fairly uneventful without Harry there to liven things up but each minute that passed bought James one minute closer to his meeting with Ella.

As the clock struck one all the students were dismissed for their lunch break and Ella hurried for the tree they had agreed to meet by, down by the lake. James was already there and as he saw her coming his face lit up like a small child on Christmas morning. He had bought a picnic and for the next hour the two young students talked, laughed and threw sandwiches at each other. As they went back up to the school James silently took her hand, it felt warm in the chilly September wind and she walked a bit closer to him, feeling like everything was going to be alright. He stopped abruptly and looked down at the small girl with her curls and emerald eyes.

"You…" he started but was unable to finish.

"Look like an apple staring at a lemon?" she laughed and he joined in, leaning forwards towards her, so close he could see each individual eyelash that framed her shining eyes. Just then the bell rung and the moment was lost, as so many are. They both hurried off

to their classes, unable to stop thinking about what could have been.

When she went to check her post Ella found a letter from her adopted mother, Pansy Parkinson,

_Dear Ella,_

_I am glad to hear that you are settling in well but strongly advise you to keep yourself from associating with the likes of James Potter. I am unfortunate enough to have gone to school with both his mother and father, both who would flout as many rules as they pleased, most likely a trait passed through the family. I see no reason to make friends with people as undeserving of respect as him as he most likely shares his mother's looks, which I have seen in housewives' weekly leave much to be desired._

_I hope you continue to study hard._

_Pansy._

Shocked at the way the woman she had always looked to for guidance had so openly expressed her hate of James's family Ella sat on her bed in silence right through dinner, just reading the letter again and again.

James was looking for Ella at dinner so intently that he completely missed something that Sean said.

"Hello! Earth to James!" said Sean, waving his hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" asked James, turning to look at his friend.

"Now James I was just saying that someone told me they saw you at Lunch with that new girl, the weird one, it's not true is it?"

"So what if it is?" said James defensively, "I might have been…"

"She's a freak! No one's that short!" exclaimed Sean, "besides she's _adopted!_"

"So what?!" shouted James and stormed out of the great hall, all the way up to the Griffindor common room where he stopped because he could hear the sound of sobs coming from an armchair facing the fire, he walked quietly over and saw that it was Ella clutching a piece of paper.

"Ella? What's wrong?" asked James, concern in his voice. Ella thrust the piece of paper at him. It only took him one read through to gather what had happened, he took the small girl in his arms and held her tight while she cried long into the night, people came and went but no one really cared about the two people sitting by the fire. Hours after everyone else had gone to bed Ella looked into the eyes of the only person who seemed to care and smiled through her tears. James pulled her closer slowly and gave her a tentative kiss lightly on her soft lips, pulling away quickly to examine her reaction. She smiled back at him and the two stayed that way into the night.

XXXXXX

Pansy Parkinson paced around her living room, this could not be happening! What would he say! She felt like she had failed. But should she tell him or not? If he knew who his daughter was associating herself with he would not be happy but even worse reading deeper into the letter Pansy worried that Ella was getting too close to this boy. Sorting her into Griffindor had been a blow but this was beyond awful! She decided that only time would tell what was to happen but perhaps it would be best if she dealt with this boy herself, as soon as possible…


End file.
